Checklist: setting up gift cards
This is everything to check before you start selling digital gift cards, in the order that makes sense to do it. Each step links to the article with the details.
1. Create or check your gift card programme
Go to Store → Giftcards. The programme card at the top of the sidebar shows the Selected program, and Create new program adds one. Then open Settings in the sidebar:
- Under General, click Edit details to set the Name, the Image, the Minimum purchase amount and the Maximum amount. Online buyers can't buy a card below the minimum.
- Under Expiration settings, click Edit expiration and choose Never expires or Expires after a set number of days.
See How to create gift card programs and When a gift card expires, and what sets its expiry date.
2. Connect a payment provider
Online sales are paid through Mollie or Stripe. See Linking a Mollie account or Linking a Stripe Account.
3. Set the amounts buyers can choose
Each programme has its own amounts. In Store → Giftcards, open Configuration under Online sales in the sidebar, and click Add option under Giftcard values for each amount. Every amount has a Payable amount and a Receivable amount, so you can give a bonus, for example pay €45 and get €50. On the same page, Let buyers enter their own amount decides whether buyers can also type an amount of their own. See Selling gift cards online.
4. Set up the gift card recipient email
This is the email the card reaches the recipient in. Click the gear icon at the top right of the dashboard to open Settings, then click Giftcards under Functionalities. This is your account's Settings, not the programme's Settings from step 1. Edit the email marked Default under Giftcard recipient emails. It has to contain the Card number (hash) tag, or it can't be published. Your account also has to be approved before it can send. See How to create gift card recipient emails.
5. Check the order confirmation email
For a purchase, the buyer also gets the Gift card order confirmation email. It's a system email, and you edit it in Store → Giftcards: click Configuration under Online sales in the sidebar and find it under Order emails. Prepaid purchases send their own order confirmation email, so changes here don't affect it. See System emails.
6. Design the wallet pass (optional)
Each programme has its own wallet pass design. Go to Store → Giftcards, open Wallet Pass in the sidebar and click Edit design.
7. Choose where to sell
- The widget on your website is open to anyone, without logging in.
- The contacts portal is for contacts who log in.
- The guest page of the contacts portal, at your portal's address followed by
/buy-giftcard, is open to anyone, without an account. It needs Sell gift cards and Sell gift cards to guests switched on in the portal editor, under Settings → Features.
You can use all of them. See Selling gift cards online.
8. Turn on the balance checker (optional)
Let anyone check a card's balance on your contacts portal, without logging in. Go to Apps → Contacts portal and click Edit contact portal. In the editor, open the Settings tab and click Features. This is the portal editor's own Settings, not your account settings. Find Gift cards and turn on Gift card balance checker. It's then at your portal's address followed by /giftcard. See Finding gift card balances and transactions.
9. Test with a purchase
Buy a gift card through the widget, the portal or the guest page yourself and check that both emails arrive and look right. The order shows up under Online sales → Orders in the programme's sidebar. If your payment provider is connected with a test key, the purchase creates no real card, and both emails go to your account's own email address with [TEST] in the subject. If an email doesn't arrive, see How to check if a recipient received their digital gift card.
Moving from another gift card system?
Import the cards that are still outstanding, so their holders can keep using their balance. See How to import gift cards with balances.